Foreign Minister and MPR Speaker Plan to Attend Ali Khamenei's Funeral

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Foreign Minister Sugiono has stated that he and the Speaker of the MPR RI, Ahmad Muzakan, are planned to attend the funeral procession of the former Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei.

“Since the funeral is scheduled to take place on Thursday, 9 July, we plan to attend. We are currently awaiting confirmation regarding the specific time and location where we can participate in the funeral ceremony,” said Foreign Minister Sugiono, following the arrival reception of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base in Jakarta on Monday.

“The plan is for the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Indonesia to depart alongside the Speaker of the MPR RI,” Sugiono added.

He noted that upon receiving initial notification regarding the funeral, the government had originally intended for the representative to be the Indonesian Ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Iran. This decision was based on various technical considerations, as several key officials were managing important state visit preparations in Indonesia.

However, he explained that the Indonesian Government subsequently received confirmation that the Iranian Government would only grant access to officials at a rank higher than that of an Ambassador. This led to a change in plans regarding the Indonesian delegation flying to Iran.

“Based on our ongoing communications, because the respect for him is immense and the crowds there will be very large, the Iranian side must attempt to find an appropriate spot to receive our visit,” said Sugint Sugiono.

The funeral procession for Ali Khamenei is being held in Tehran today. A similar ceremony is scheduled to take place in the city of Qom on Tuesday (7 July). Subsequently, on Wednesday (8 July), the remains of Ali Khamenei will be transported to the Iraqi cities of Baghdad, Najaf, and Karbala, before being returned to his birthplace in Mashhad for burial on Thursday (9 July).